One-Time DNA Study for Vasculitis
Start Date
10/1/2010
Completion Date
8/1/2028
Summary
The purpose of this study is to identify genes that increase the risk of developing vasculitis, a group of severe diseases that feature inflammation of blood vessels. Results of these studies will provide vasculitis researchers with insight into the causes of these diseases and generate new ideas for diagnostic tests and therapies, and will be of great interest to the larger communities of researchers investigating vasculitis and other autoimmune, inflammatory, and vascular diseases.
Detailed Description
The systemic vasculitides comprise several inflammatory diseases of blood vessels, usually arteries, which may cause systemic, multi-organ disease that can result in substantial morbidity and increased mortality. Each type of vasculitis is a rare ("orphan") disease. However, taken together, vasculitis affects tens of thousands of Americans and is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality and almost one billion dollars per year in hospital care alone. While the vasculitides share the trait of vascular inflammation, the unique disease phenotypes, clinical courses, differences in prognoses, and responses to therapy suggest that important differences exist in pathogenesis. The Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC) currently focuses on 6 specific types of vasculitis that were selected to represent a balance between unmet medical and scientific needs, prevalence in North America, feasibility of study, and an interest in studying a spectrum of small, medium, and large vessel vasculitides. The great majority of published studies on the genetics of vasculitis have used modest-sized cohorts that are only suitable for investigation of a few candidate genes at a time, or to detect large effect sizes, so that replicated findings are highly skewed to the HLA region. Larger and more ambitious genetic studies in vasculitis are expected to generate numerous hypotheses for translational research in gene expression, biochemistry, and molecular pathology. A one-time collection of clinical data and DNA would substantially increase the sample sizes for genetic association studies in all six vasculitides studied in the VCRC. Many patients are seen at participating VCRC centers but do not enroll in the Longitudinal Studies. These patients often are interested in participating in research studies but cannot return frequently for visits, usually due to distance from the VCRC centers. This approach would be particularly useful for the rarer forms of vasculitis under study (Takayasu's Arteritis (TAK), Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss) (EGPA) and also for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA), since elderly patients have been particularly likely to decline participation in the Longitudinal Studies due to travel constraints.
Eligibility Criteria
Age Range: 7 years to No maximum
Conditions
Locations
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, California 90048
United States
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California 94143
United States
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois 60208
United States
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, Kansas 66103
United States
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5422
United States
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota 55905
United States
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, New York 10021
United States
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio 44195
United States
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
United States
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
United States
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah 84132
United States
St. Joseph's Healthcare
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada
Mount Sinai Hospital
Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9
Canada
Istanbul University
Istanbul, Fatih 34452
Turkey (Türkiye)